Cordite Trail a fascinating glimpse into the past

Transcona

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/04/2024 (596 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you travel north on Lagimodiere Boulevard ,you’ll see the sign in the photograph just past Grassie Boulevard. It’s a marker for the west portion of the Cordite Trail, which starts at Plessis Road and ends at Ham Street. Adjacent to the trail is the Cordite Ditch and Cordite Road.

During the Second World War, the Transcona Munitions Plant, operated by Defence Industries Ltd., a Crown corporation, opened in 1941. Its purpose was to produce cordite, a gunpowder replacement.

East of Redonda Street is the other portion of the Cordite Trail, which meets up with the Transcona Trail, where there are placards explaining the history of the plant. The Cordite Ditch starts at the George Olive Nature Park and flows west to Bunn’s Creek and into the Red River. Originally, it flowed from the plant, which was located in the RM of Springfield, near Deacon Road (there was no floodway at this time). This man-made waterway was constructed as a means of discharging wastewater from the plant, which used about 10 million gallons of water daily. There were some concerns at the time about flooding and danger to cattle because of chemicals in the water, but it was built as planned.

The munitions plant spread over 800 acres. There were over 230 buildings, including the factories, a power plant, a hospital, machine shops, offices, a fire hall, and staff residences. Due to the volatile nature of the substances produced there, the buildings were spread far apart in case of an explosion.

The plant produced and stored the products that made up cordite, a smokeless explosive used as a propellant in large firearms. These products included highly flammable substances such as guncotton, nitroglycerin, nitric acid, and sulfuric acid. Over 65,000 tons of cordite was shipped out by rail for use in the war.

Over 4,000 people – including women, who were not usually part of the manufacturing sector – were employed at the plant. Nearby residents, as well as those from Winnipeg who took the train from downtown, worked there.

Safety was of utmost importance. Surrounded by an eight-foot fence, the property was heavily guarded. Staff were not allowed to discuss what went on in the plant. No metal or anything that could cause a spark was allowed inside. A few workers were fired and sent to jail for smoking. During its years of production there was only one fatality, when a truck was overloaded and a spark ignited.

When the war ended in 1945, the plant closed immediately, and demolition began that November. Transcona lobbied for another industry move in, but the buildings were built to be temporary, and some were contaminated, so it was all demolished.

I encourage you to visit the Transcona Museum to see artifacts and read the articles from The Cordite Review, the plant’s staff newsletter. Also, take a hike down the Cordite Trail to read the placards. There is much more to learn about this fascinating part of our local history.